CRYING TENDS TO RUST THE ARMOR

I didn’t read the previous issues, but this is the epilogue of “The Five Nightmares” story where Ezekiel Stane tried to destroy Tony Stark and Stark Industries. That said, we get a good ol’ romp of a team-up between Webhead and Shellhead! (very similar to the recent Ms. Marvel annual) Thanks to Brand New Day, Stark no longer knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, but he does remember that Peter used to be his apprentice and that Spidey is an unregistered vigilante. I know, it’s all a continuiuty mish-mosh. The drawing is very photo-referenced, so those of you who have issues with Greg Land may find the visuals similar, but overall it’s very solid artwork. There’s only a limited amount of action in the story, but we get some good-natured banter between our registered and unregistered heroes, and there’s a very solid theme throughout this self-contained story.  What is most significant about this issue is the final page, where a stunning image is attached to a touching article from the latest issue of FRONT LINE that is dated the same day I’m reading the book (new comic day). We all know Tony Stark is under a lot of pressure from his responsibilities, but the reflection we get on this page is one of a tragic figure that makes you want to read the rest of Ben Urich’s article that is, unfortunately, continued on a non-existent page. Overall, this was a worthwhile read. It doesn’t capture the spirit of Spider-Man as much as some books, but it makes the most of a self-contained story and closes out the latest chapter of Iron Man.